WO2011058471A1 - System and method for identifying a doppler signal from a target blood vessel - Google Patents

System and method for identifying a doppler signal from a target blood vessel Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2011058471A1
WO2011058471A1 PCT/IB2010/054833 IB2010054833W WO2011058471A1 WO 2011058471 A1 WO2011058471 A1 WO 2011058471A1 IB 2010054833 W IB2010054833 W IB 2010054833W WO 2011058471 A1 WO2011058471 A1 WO 2011058471A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
doppler signal
blood vessel
target blood
artery
originates
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2010/054833
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Puranjoy Bhattacharya
Pallavi Vajinepalli
Rajendra Singh Sisodia
Celine Firtion
Original Assignee
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. filed Critical Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Publication of WO2011058471A1 publication Critical patent/WO2011058471A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/06—Measuring blood flow
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/43—Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the reproductive systems
    • A61B5/4306—Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the reproductive systems for evaluating the female reproductive systems, e.g. gynaecological evaluations
    • A61B5/4343—Pregnancy and labour monitoring, e.g. for labour onset detection
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/48—Other medical applications
    • A61B5/4887—Locating particular structures in or on the body
    • A61B5/489—Blood vessels

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a system and a method for identifying a target blood vessel, in particular, to a system and a method for identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel.
  • Assessing risks of pregnancy and monitoring high-risk pregnancies are daily routine for obstetricians, so as to help a mother to give birth to a healthy baby.
  • a way to classify risks associated with pregnancy is to measure the blood flow status of different blood vessels of mother and fetus, since different risks and complications of pregnancy are reflected by different blood vessels' flows.
  • the status of an umbilical artery flow may reflect a risk of fetal acidosis/distress, intellectual impairment, and stillbirth;
  • the status of a uterine artery flow may reflect a risk of pre-eclampsia, intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), and prenatal death;
  • the status of a mid-cerebral artery may reflect the severity of IUGR and fetal anemia;
  • the status of the ductus venosus may reflect a fetal oxygenation status and a fetal heart function;
  • the status of the umbilical vein may reflect the placental vascular function, the status of nutrients and oxygen reaching a fetus, asphyxia, and stillbirth.
  • a Doppler ultrasound analysis of blood vessels is routinely used to monitor high-risk pregnancies.
  • a Doppler device comprises Duplex ultrasound scanners for detecting images of blood vessels in a body, so that a user can identify a specific blood vessel according to the images, and then use the Duplex ultrasound scanners to scan velocity information of the specific blood vessel, so as to acquire the status of the specific blood vessel.
  • the current Duplex ultrasound scanners require experienced users to identify blood vessels and interpret velocities of specific fetal or maternal blood vessels, and the identified result may not be very accurate. Furthermore, the Duplex ultrasound scanners are quite expensive, which may adversely affect the access to ultrasound devices for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of high-risk pregnancies.
  • An object of this invention is to provide an improved system for identifying a Doppler signal from a target blood vessel.
  • the system for identifying a Doppler signal from a target blood vessel comprises:
  • a receiving unit for receiving a Doppler signal
  • an extracting unit for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal
  • a determining unit for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope
  • a generating unit for generating an indication indicating to acquire a status of the target blood vessel.
  • the advantage is that the system can accurately identify blood vessels automatically.
  • the determining unit is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel; if the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining unit is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
  • the advantage is that the system can identify arteries and veins automatically.
  • the determining unit is intended to:
  • the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
  • the determining unit is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
  • the advantage is that the system can distinguish maternal arteries from fetal arteries automatically.
  • the determining unit is intended to:
  • the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
  • the Doppler signal originates from the maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
  • a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, - determine that the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a first pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
  • the determining unit (23) is intended to: - determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the
  • Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley
  • the Doppler signal originates from the fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
  • a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a second pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
  • the advantage is that the system can identify specific maternal arteries and fetal arteries automatically.
  • an apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel.
  • the apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel comprises:
  • an identifying system for identifying that the Doppler signal is from the target blood vessel in the body
  • - an acquiring unit for acquiring the status of the target blood vessel, based on the Doppler signal
  • the identifying system comprises:
  • determining unit for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope
  • a generating unit for generating an indication indicating the acquiring unit is to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
  • the apparatus can automatically identify that a Doppler signal originates from a target blood vessel which is planned to be measured.
  • the invention provides a method of identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel and a method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel, and a computer program used in the method of identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel.
  • Fig. 1 schematically shows an apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention
  • Fig. 2 schematically shows the identifying system 20 of Fig. 1 ;
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a signal envelope extracted from a Doppler signal
  • Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention
  • Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the identifying step of Fig. 4.
  • Fig. 1 schematically shows an apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention.
  • the apparatus 1 comprises an input unit 10 through which a target blood vessel (shown as TBV in Fig. 1) can be inputted, a probe 30 for detecting a Doppler signal (shown as DS in Fig. 1) from a body, an identifying system 20 for identifying that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel in the body, an acquiring unit 40 for acquiring a status of the target blood vessel, based on the Doppler signal, and an output unit 50 for outputting the status (Shown as S in Fig. 1) of the target blood vessel.
  • the target blood vessel is a blood vessel of which a user wants to measure the status.
  • the target blood vessel can be any one of many different specific blood vessels, e.g. artery, vein, maternal artery, fetal artery, umbilical artery, uterine artery.
  • the input unit 10 can be a keyboard or a touch screen, and a user can input the target blood vessel through the input unit 10.
  • the user can write the target blood vessel into the apparatus 1 through the input unit 10, or select the target blood vessel from a menu of the touch screen.
  • the probe 30 is placed on the body.
  • the user can move the probe 30 from one position of the body to another position, so that the probe 30 can detect different Doppler signals from different blood vessels.
  • the probe 30 can be moved from one position to another position on an abdomen of a pregnant body, so as to detect Doppler signals from maternal blood vessels and fetal blood vessels.
  • the output unit 50 may be a display to show the status of the target blood vessel, and the status may comprise a waveform of the Doppler signal, parameters of the Doppler signal of the target blood vessel, and properties of the target blood vessel. If the input unit 10 is a touch screen, the output unit 50 and the input unit 10 can be integrated with one another.
  • the status of the target blood vessel may be reflected by the parameters of the Doppler signal of the target blood vessel.
  • the acquiring unit 40 is used to acquire the status of the target blood vessel by measuring the parameters of the Doppler signal.
  • Fig. 2 schematically shows the identifying system 20 of Fig. 1.
  • the identifying system 20 comprises a receiving unit 21 for receiving a Doppler signal from the probe 30 and a target blood vessel from the input unit 10, an extracting unit 22 for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal, a determining unit 23 for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and a generating unit 24 for generating an indication indicating to the acquiring unit 40 to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
  • the receiving unit 21 may be further used to receive some initial information, for example, the age of the body, the rough position of the probe 30 placed on the body, and an (averaged) reflective index of the position around the probe 30.
  • the determining unit 23 may be used to determine an initial position of the probe 30 placed on the body according to the initial information.
  • the initial information can be inputted by a user through the input unit 10.
  • the probe 30 is used to transmit signals to a position of the body and receive the reflected signals.
  • the determining unit 23 may be intended to determine the ratio of the transmitted energy and the reflected energy as the reflection index of the position of the body, and then determine the initial position by comparing the reflection index with a pre-defined reflection index list.
  • the predefined reflection index list may comprise different reflection indexes and each reflection index corresponds to a position of the body.
  • a position sensor such as a gyroscope, can be attached to the probe (30) to automatically identify the initial position of the probe 30 on the body.
  • the extracting unit 22 may be intended to process the Doppler signal, based on an Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter and a 2D median filter.
  • IIR Infinite Impulse Response
  • 2D median filter The Infinite Impulse filter and the
  • the 2D median filter are used to filter out the low frequency Doppler signal and remove the Doppler signal which has a frequency above a pre-defined frequency. Furthermore, the 2D median filter can effectively reduce spikes of the Doppler signal.
  • the extracting unit 22 is intended to extract the signal envelope of the Doppler signal by extracting a mean signal envelope or a peak signal envelope from the Doppler signal.
  • the peak signal envelope corresponds to a maximum frequency of the Doppler signal and the mean signal envelope corresponds to a mean frequency of the Doppler signal.
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a signal envelope extracted from a Doppler signal.
  • the generating unit 24 may generate the indication directly.
  • the generating unit 24 may generate the indication by: firstly generating a first alert to a user, secondly, receiving a measurement start request from a user through the input unit 10, and finally, generating an indication indicating to the acquiring unit 40 to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
  • the first alert can be a light, a voice, a picture, one or more words.
  • the user inputs the measurement start request through the input unit 10 after noticing the first alert.
  • the Doppler signal, the target blood vessel, and the start request are shown as DS&TBV& SR. in Fig. 2.
  • the generating unit 24 is intended to generate a second alert to the user for moving the probe 30 to a second position on the body, and the identifying system 20 is intended to continually identify a Doppler signal detected by the probe 30 from the second position.
  • the identifying system 20 is designed to circularly implement the identifying process, if the target blood vessel is not identified.
  • the second alert can be a light, a voice, a picture, one or more words.
  • the indication, the first alert, and the second alert are shown as I&FA& SA in Fig. 2.
  • the geometric parameters of a signal envelope of a Doppler signal may comprise peak point S, valley point D, curvature C of maximum positional degree, a spectral breadth SB, a distance A between two consecutive peak/valley points etc.
  • the descending pulse of a Doppler signal may have a point where the slope seems to rise and fall abruptly, and the rise and fall of the slope is estimated as curvature C of maximum positional degree.
  • the geometric parameters of a signal envelope can be used directly to determine whether a Doppler signal originates from a target blood vessel or not. Furthermore, the geometric parameters of a signal envelope can also be used indirectly to determine whether a Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. For example, the geometric parameters can be used to calculate or derive some other parameters which are relevant to the velocity of blood flow in the target blood vessel.
  • the other parameters can be frequencies of a Doppler signal, a pulse cycle of a Doppler signal, a resistance index RI of a blood vessel, a pulsatility index PI of blood in a blood vessel, a ratio of systolic and diastolic etc.
  • the pulse cycle is defined as the time between two consecutive diastolic (or systolic) points, so the pulse cycle can be determined by calculating the distance between two consecutive valley points or two consecutive peak points of the signal envelope.
  • the ratio of systolic and diastolic can be determined by calculating S/D.
  • the frequency can be determined by energy- based signal envelope boundary detection, i.e. plotting average frequencies at each time bin (few milliseconds).
  • the pulsatility index PI can be calculated by the following equation (1):
  • the resistance index RI can be calculated by the following equation (2):
  • the target blood vessel is an artery or a vein.
  • the arterial blood flow is pulsatile and the venous blood flow is steady.
  • the pulsatile blood flow can be reflected by the signal envelope with peaks/valleys, and the steady blood flow can be reflected by the signal envelope without peaks/valleys.
  • the determining unit 23 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. If the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining unit 23 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
  • the target blood vessel is a maternal artery or a fetal artery
  • the mean frequency of a Doppler signal is affected by the velocity of blood flow in a blood vessel.
  • the velocity of blood flow is significantly higher in a maternal blood vessel than in a fetal blood vessel, and the mean frequency of the Doppler signal from a maternal artery is much higher than the mean frequency of the Doppler signal from a fetal artery.
  • the determining unit 23 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
  • the determining unit 23 is intended to:
  • the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
  • the pre-defined frequency threshold can be pre-defined by the manufacture of the apparatus 1, the identifying system 20, a doctor, or a user.
  • the pre-defined frequency threshold can be pre-defined by the manufacture of the apparatus 1, the identifying system 20, a doctor, or a user.
  • pre-defined frequency threshold can be 800HZ.
  • the target blood vessel is a uterine or umbilical artery.
  • the geometric parameter curvature C reflects the velocity properties of blood flow in a blood vessel.
  • the blood pulsatihty index PI also reflects the velocity of blood flow in a blood vessel.
  • the determining unit 23 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index PI is in a first pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
  • the determining unit 23 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
  • a pulsatihty index PI according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index PI is in a second pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
  • the first pre-defined curvature range is different from the second pre-defined curvature range
  • the first pre-defined pulsatility index range is different from the second pulsatility index range.
  • the first pre-defined curvature range, the second pre-defined curvature range, the first pre-defined pulsatility index range, and the second pulsatility can be pre-defined by a provider of the apparatus 1 , a provider of the identifying system 20, a user, or a doctor.
  • the identifying system 20 can identify a default target blood vessel to be measured.
  • a default target blood vessel can be placed by a supplier of the apparatus 1 and the identifying system 20, a user, or a doctor.
  • Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention. The method comprises the steps of:
  • Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the identifying step of Fig. 4.
  • the identifying step comprises the steps of:
  • the target blood vessel is an artery or a vein. If the target blood vessel is an artery, the determining step 423 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. If the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining step 423 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
  • the target blood vessel is a maternal artery or a fetal artery
  • the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
  • the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
  • the target blood vessel is a uterine or umbilical artery.
  • the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from the maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
  • the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatility index PI is in a first pre-defined pulsatility index range, and
  • the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
  • the Doppler signal originates from the fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
  • the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatility index PI is in a second pre-defined pulsatility index range, and
  • a computer program used in a method of identifying a target blood vessel from its er signal comprising the steps of:

Abstract

The invention provides a system and a method for identifying a Doppler signal from a target blood vessel. The system comprises: a receiving unit (21) for receiving a Doppler signal, an extracting unit (22) for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal, a determining unit (23) for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and a generating unit (24) for generating an indication indicating to acquire a status of the target blood vessel.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING A DOPPLER SIGNAL
FROM A TARGET BLOOD VESSEL
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a system and a method for identifying a target blood vessel, in particular, to a system and a method for identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Assessing risks of pregnancy and monitoring high-risk pregnancies are daily routine for obstetricians, so as to help a mother to give birth to a healthy baby. A way to classify risks associated with pregnancy is to measure the blood flow status of different blood vessels of mother and fetus, since different risks and complications of pregnancy are reflected by different blood vessels' flows. For example, the status of an umbilical artery flow may reflect a risk of fetal acidosis/distress, intellectual impairment, and stillbirth; the status of a uterine artery flow may reflect a risk of pre-eclampsia, intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), and prenatal death; the status of a mid-cerebral artery may reflect the severity of IUGR and fetal anemia; the status of the ductus venosus may reflect a fetal oxygenation status and a fetal heart function; the status of the umbilical vein may reflect the placental vascular function, the status of nutrients and oxygen reaching a fetus, asphyxia, and stillbirth.
Thus, during assessment of risks and monitoring of pregnancy, it is important to identify different blood vessels, and then measure the blood flow status of an identified blood vessel, so as to determine possible risks and complications of pregnancy according to the status of an identified blood vessel. Currently, Doppler ultrasound analysis of blood vessels is routinely used to monitor high-risk pregnancies. A Doppler device comprises Duplex ultrasound scanners for detecting images of blood vessels in a body, so that a user can identify a specific blood vessel according to the images, and then use the Duplex ultrasound scanners to scan velocity information of the specific blood vessel, so as to acquire the status of the specific blood vessel.
However, the current Duplex ultrasound scanners require experienced users to identify blood vessels and interpret velocities of specific fetal or maternal blood vessels, and the identified result may not be very accurate. Furthermore, the Duplex ultrasound scanners are quite expensive, which may adversely affect the access to ultrasound devices for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of high-risk pregnancies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide an improved system for identifying a Doppler signal from a target blood vessel.
The system for identifying a Doppler signal from a target blood vessel comprises:
a receiving unit for receiving a Doppler signal,
an extracting unit for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
a determining unit for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
a generating unit for generating an indication indicating to acquire a status of the target blood vessel.
The advantage is that the system can accurately identify blood vessels automatically.
In an embodiment, if the target blood vessel is an artery, the determining unit is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel; if the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining unit is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
The advantage is that the system can identify arteries and veins automatically.
In another embodiment, if the target blood vessel is a maternal artery, the determining unit is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel;
if the target blood vessel is a fetal artery, the determining unit is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
The advantage is that the system can distinguish maternal arteries from fetal arteries automatically.
In a further embodiment, if the target blood vessel is a uterine artery, the determining unit is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, - determine that the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a first pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel ;
if the target blood vessel is an umbilical artery, the determining unit (23) is intended to: - determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the
Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
- determine a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a second pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
The advantage is that the system can identify specific maternal arteries and fetal arteries automatically.
In another object of the invention, an apparatus is provided for measuring a status of a target blood vessel.
The apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel comprises:
- a probe for detecting a Doppler signal from a body,
- an identifying system for identifying that the Doppler signal is from the target blood vessel in the body, - an acquiring unit for acquiring the status of the target blood vessel, based on the Doppler signal, and
- an output unit for outputting the status of the target blood vessel,
wherein, the identifying system comprises:
- a receiving unit for receiving the Doppler signal from the probe,
- an extracting unit for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
- a determining unit for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
- a generating unit for generating an indication indicating the acquiring unit is to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
The advantage is that the apparatus can automatically identify that a Doppler signal originates from a target blood vessel which is planned to be measured. According to a further object, corresponding to the above system and apparatus, the invention provides a method of identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel and a method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel, and a computer program used in the method of identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel.
Detailed explanations and other aspects of the invention will be given below.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 schematically shows an apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 schematically shows the identifying system 20 of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a signal envelope extracted from a Doppler signal;
Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the identifying step of Fig. 4.
The same reference numerals are used to denote similar parts throughout the Figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Fig. 1 schematically shows an apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention. The apparatus 1 comprises an input unit 10 through which a target blood vessel (shown as TBV in Fig. 1) can be inputted, a probe 30 for detecting a Doppler signal (shown as DS in Fig. 1) from a body, an identifying system 20 for identifying that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel in the body, an acquiring unit 40 for acquiring a status of the target blood vessel, based on the Doppler signal, and an output unit 50 for outputting the status (Shown as S in Fig. 1) of the target blood vessel. The target blood vessel is a blood vessel of which a user wants to measure the status. The target blood vessel can be any one of many different specific blood vessels, e.g. artery, vein, maternal artery, fetal artery, umbilical artery, uterine artery.
The input unit 10 can be a keyboard or a touch screen, and a user can input the target blood vessel through the input unit 10. Optionally, the user can write the target blood vessel into the apparatus 1 through the input unit 10, or select the target blood vessel from a menu of the touch screen.
The probe 30 is placed on the body. The user can move the probe 30 from one position of the body to another position, so that the probe 30 can detect different Doppler signals from different blood vessels. For example, the probe 30 can be moved from one position to another position on an abdomen of a pregnant body, so as to detect Doppler signals from maternal blood vessels and fetal blood vessels.
The output unit 50 may be a display to show the status of the target blood vessel, and the status may comprise a waveform of the Doppler signal, parameters of the Doppler signal of the target blood vessel, and properties of the target blood vessel. If the input unit 10 is a touch screen, the output unit 50 and the input unit 10 can be integrated with one another.
The status of the target blood vessel may be reflected by the parameters of the Doppler signal of the target blood vessel. The acquiring unit 40 is used to acquire the status of the target blood vessel by measuring the parameters of the Doppler signal.
Fig. 2 schematically shows the identifying system 20 of Fig. 1. The identifying system 20 comprises a receiving unit 21 for receiving a Doppler signal from the probe 30 and a target blood vessel from the input unit 10, an extracting unit 22 for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal, a determining unit 23 for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and a generating unit 24 for generating an indication indicating to the acquiring unit 40 to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
The receiving unit 21 may be further used to receive some initial information, for example, the age of the body, the rough position of the probe 30 placed on the body, and an (averaged) reflective index of the position around the probe 30. The determining unit 23 may be used to determine an initial position of the probe 30 placed on the body according to the initial information.
The initial information can be inputted by a user through the input unit 10. The probe 30 is used to transmit signals to a position of the body and receive the reflected signals. The determining unit 23 may be intended to determine the ratio of the transmitted energy and the reflected energy as the reflection index of the position of the body, and then determine the initial position by comparing the reflection index with a pre-defined reflection index list. The predefined reflection index list may comprise different reflection indexes and each reflection index corresponds to a position of the body. Alternatively a position sensor, such as a gyroscope, can be attached to the probe (30) to automatically identify the initial position of the probe 30 on the body.
The extracting unit 22 may be intended to process the Doppler signal, based on an Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter and a 2D median filter. The Infinite Impulse filter and the
2D median filter are used to filter out the low frequency Doppler signal and remove the Doppler signal which has a frequency above a pre-defined frequency. Furthermore, the 2D median filter can effectively reduce spikes of the Doppler signal. The extracting unit 22 is intended to extract the signal envelope of the Doppler signal by extracting a mean signal envelope or a peak signal envelope from the Doppler signal. The peak signal envelope corresponds to a maximum frequency of the Doppler signal and the mean signal envelope corresponds to a mean frequency of the Doppler signal. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a signal envelope extracted from a Doppler signal. The generating unit 24 may generate the indication directly. Alternatively, the generating unit 24 may generate the indication by: firstly generating a first alert to a user, secondly, receiving a measurement start request from a user through the input unit 10, and finally, generating an indication indicating to the acquiring unit 40 to acquire the status of the target blood vessel. The first alert can be a light, a voice, a picture, one or more words. The user inputs the measurement start request through the input unit 10 after noticing the first alert. The Doppler signal, the target blood vessel, and the start request are shown as DS&TBV& SR. in Fig. 2.
If the determining unit 23 determines that the Doppler signal does not originate from the target blood vessel, the generating unit 24 is intended to generate a second alert to the user for moving the probe 30 to a second position on the body, and the identifying system 20 is intended to continually identify a Doppler signal detected by the probe 30 from the second position. The identifying system 20 is designed to circularly implement the identifying process, if the target blood vessel is not identified. The second alert can be a light, a voice, a picture, one or more words.
The indication, the first alert, and the second alert are shown as I&FA& SA in Fig. 2.
The geometric parameters of a signal envelope of a Doppler signal may comprise peak point S, valley point D, curvature C of maximum positional degree, a spectral breadth SB, a distance A between two consecutive peak/valley points etc. The descending pulse of a Doppler signal may have a point where the slope seems to rise and fall abruptly, and the rise and fall of the slope is estimated as curvature C of maximum positional degree.
The geometric parameters of a signal envelope can be used directly to determine whether a Doppler signal originates from a target blood vessel or not. Furthermore, the geometric parameters of a signal envelope can also be used indirectly to determine whether a Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. For example, the geometric parameters can be used to calculate or derive some other parameters which are relevant to the velocity of blood flow in the target blood vessel. The other parameters can be frequencies of a Doppler signal, a pulse cycle of a Doppler signal, a resistance index RI of a blood vessel, a pulsatility index PI of blood in a blood vessel, a ratio of systolic and diastolic etc. The pulse cycle is defined as the time between two consecutive diastolic (or systolic) points, so the pulse cycle can be determined by calculating the distance between two consecutive valley points or two consecutive peak points of the signal envelope. The ratio of systolic and diastolic can be determined by calculating S/D. The frequency can be determined by energy- based signal envelope boundary detection, i.e. plotting average frequencies at each time bin (few milliseconds).
The pulsatility index PI can be calculated by the following equation (1):
PI = (S-D)/A (1)
The resistance index RI can be calculated by the following equation (2):
RI = (S-D)/S (2)
For determining whether the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel, three examples are given in the following.
(1) The target blood vessel is an artery or a vein.
The arterial blood flow is pulsatile and the venous blood flow is steady. The pulsatile blood flow can be reflected by the signal envelope with peaks/valleys, and the steady blood flow can be reflected by the signal envelope without peaks/valleys.
If the target blood vessel is an artery, the determining unit 23 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. If the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining unit 23 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. (2) The target blood vessel is a maternal artery or a fetal artery
The mean frequency of a Doppler signal is affected by the velocity of blood flow in a blood vessel. The velocity of blood flow is significantly higher in a maternal blood vessel than in a fetal blood vessel, and the mean frequency of the Doppler signal from a maternal artery is much higher than the mean frequency of the Doppler signal from a fetal artery.
If the target blood vessel is a maternal artery, the determining unit 23 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal ,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
If the target blood vessel is a fetal artery, the determining unit 23 is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
The pre-defined frequency threshold can be pre-defined by the manufacture of the apparatus 1, the identifying system 20, a doctor, or a user. For example, the
pre-defined frequency threshold can be 800HZ.
(3) The target blood vessel is a uterine or umbilical artery. The geometric parameter curvature C reflects the velocity properties of blood flow in a blood vessel. The blood pulsatihty index PI also reflects the velocity of blood flow in a blood vessel.
If the target blood vessel is a uterine artery, the determining unit 23 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine the mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatihty index PI according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index PI is in a first pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
determine the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
If the target blood vessel is an umbilical artery, the determining unit 23 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine the mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatihty index PI according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index PI is in a second pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel . The first pre-defined curvature range is different from the second pre-defined curvature range, and the first pre-defined pulsatility index range is different from the second pulsatility index range. The first pre-defined curvature range, the second pre-defined curvature range, the first pre-defined pulsatility index range, and the second pulsatility can be pre-defined by a provider of the apparatus 1 , a provider of the identifying system 20, a user, or a doctor.
If a user does not input a target blood vessel to be measured, the identifying system 20 can identify a default target blood vessel to be measured. A default target blood vessel can be placed by a supplier of the apparatus 1 and the identifying system 20, a user, or a doctor.
Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the invention. The method comprises the steps of:
- detecting 41 a Doppler signal from a body,
- identifying 42 that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel in the body,
- acquiring 43 the status of the target blood vessel, based on the Doppler signal, and
- outputting 44 the status of the target blood vessel.
Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the identifying step of Fig. 4. The identifying step comprises the steps of:
- receiving 421 a Doppler signal,
- extracting 422 a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
- determining 423 that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
- generating 424 an indication indicating to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
For determining whether the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel, three examples are given in the following.
(1) The target blood vessel is an artery or a vein. If the target blood vessel is an artery, the determining step 423 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel. If the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining step 423 is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and subsequently that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
(2) The target blood vessel is a maternal artery or a fetal artery
If the target blood vessel is a maternal artery, the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal is from the target blood vessel.
If the target blood vessel is a fetal artery, the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
(3) The target blood vessel is a uterine or umbilical artery.
If the target blood vessel is a uterine artery, the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatility index PI according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatility index PI is in a first pre-defined pulsatility index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
If the target blood vessel is an umbilical artery, the determining step 423 is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatility index PI according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature C of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatility index PI is in a second pre-defined pulsatility index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal is from the target blood vessel.
A computer program used in a method of identifying a target blood vessel from its er signal , the method comprising the steps of:
receiving (421) a Doppler signal,
extracting (422) a signal envelope from the Doppler signal, determining (423) that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
generating (424) an indication indicating to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in a claim or in the description. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention can be implemented by units of hardware comprising several distinct elements and by units of a programmed computer. In the system claims enumerating several units, several of these units can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware or software. The usage of the words first, second and third, et cetera, does not indicate any ordering. These words are to be interpreted as names.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A system for identifying a Doppler signal originating from a target blood vessel comprising:
a receiving unit (21) for receiving a Doppler signal,
an extracting unit (22) for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal, a determining unit (23) for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
a generating unit (24) for generating an indication indicating to acquire a status of the target blood vessel.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the target blood vessel is an artery, the determining unit (23) is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel; if the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining unit (23) is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the target blood vessel is a maternal artery, the determining unit (23) is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the target blood vessel is a fetal artery, the determining unit (23) is intended to: determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the target blood vessel is a uterine artery, the determining unit (23) is intended to:
- determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the
Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
- determine a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a first pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if the target blood vessel is an umbilical artery, the determining unit (23) is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
- determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatility index is in a second pre-defined pulsatility index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel .
7. An apparatus for measuring a status of a target blood vessel comprising:
- a probe (30) for detecting a Doppler signal from a body,
- an identifying system (20) for identifying that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel in the body,
- an acquiring unit (43) for acquiring the status of the target blood vessel, based on the
Doppler signal, and
- an output unit (44) for outputting the status of the target blood vessel,
wherein, the identifying system (20) comprises:
- a receiving unit (21) for receiving the Doppler signal from the probe (30), - an extracting unit (22) for extracting a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
- a determining unit (23) for determining that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
- a generating unit (24) for generating an indication indicating to the acquiring unit (40) to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
8. A method of identifying a Doppler signal from a target blood vessel comprising the steps of:
receiving (421) a Doppler signal,
extracting (422) a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
- determining (423) that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
generating (424) an indication indicating to acquire a status of the target blood vessel.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, if the target blood vessel to be measured is an artery, the determining step (423) is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel; if the target blood vessel is a vein, the determining step (423) is intended to determine that the signal envelope of the Doppler signal does not comprise at least one peak/valley, and that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, if the target blood vessel is a maternal artery, the determining step (423) is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, if the target blood vessel is a fetal artery, the determining step (423) is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from a fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, if the target blood vessel is a uterine artery, the determining step (423) is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal, determine that the Doppler signal originates from the maternal artery, if the mean frequency is higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from a uterine artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a first pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a first pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel.
13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, if the target blood vessel is an umbilical artery, the determining step (423) is intended to:
determine that the Doppler signal originates from an artery, if the signal envelope of the Doppler signal comprises at least one peak/valley,
determine a mean frequency of the Doppler signal,
determine that the Doppler signal originates from the fetal artery, if the mean frequency is not higher than the pre-defined frequency threshold,
determine a pulsatihty index according to the geometric parameters of the signal envelope, determine that the Doppler signal originates from an umbilical artery, if a curvature of the signal envelope is in a second pre-defined curvature range and the pulsatihty index is in a second pre-defined pulsatihty index range, and
- determine that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel (umbilical artery).
14. A method of measuring a status of a target blood vessel comprising the steps of:
- detecting (41) a Doppler signal from a body,
- identifying (42) that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel in the body,
- acquiring (43) the status of the target blood vessel, based on the Doppler signal, and
- outputting (44) the status of the target blood vessel,
wherein the identifying step (42) comprises the steps of:
- receiving (421) the Doppler signal, - extracting (422) a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
- determining (423) that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
- generating (424) an indication indicating to the acquiring unit (40) to acquire the status of the target blood vessel.
15. A computer program used in a method of identifying a target blood vessel from its Doppler signal, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving (421) a Doppler signal,
- extracting (422) a signal envelope from the Doppler signal,
determining (423) that the Doppler signal originates from the target blood vessel according to geometric parameters of the signal envelope, and
generating (424) an indication indicating to acquire a status of the target blood vessel.
PCT/IB2010/054833 2009-11-13 2010-10-26 System and method for identifying a doppler signal from a target blood vessel WO2011058471A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN200910222037 2009-11-13
CN200910222037.8 2009-11-13

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2011058471A1 true WO2011058471A1 (en) 2011-05-19

Family

ID=43484660

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2010/054833 WO2011058471A1 (en) 2009-11-13 2010-10-26 System and method for identifying a doppler signal from a target blood vessel

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2011058471A1 (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2012085788A3 (en) * 2010-12-22 2012-08-23 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Automated doppler velocimetry using a low-cost transducer.
WO2013080115A1 (en) * 2011-11-30 2013-06-06 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. System and method for identifying high risk pregnancies
WO2016016581A1 (en) * 2014-07-30 2016-02-04 Bf Systemes System and method for measuring blood flow
RU2623301C2 (en) * 2011-06-30 2017-06-23 Конинклейке Филипс Н.В. Method and device for automated doppler evaluation of flow angle and speed

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5910119A (en) * 1998-05-12 1999-06-08 Diasonics, Inc. Ultrasonic color doppler velocity and direction imaging
WO2006122001A2 (en) * 2005-05-06 2006-11-16 Vasonova, Inc. Method and apparatus for endovascular device guiding and positioning

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5910119A (en) * 1998-05-12 1999-06-08 Diasonics, Inc. Ultrasonic color doppler velocity and direction imaging
WO2006122001A2 (en) * 2005-05-06 2006-11-16 Vasonova, Inc. Method and apparatus for endovascular device guiding and positioning

Non-Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
"FIGO news", INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS, NEW YORK, NY, US, vol. 37, no. 3, 1 March 1992 (1992-03-01), pages 221 - 227, XP026248916, ISSN: 0020-7292, [retrieved on 19920301], DOI: DOI:10.1016/0020-7292(92)90387-X *
ABRAMOWICZ J S ET AL: "Ultrasound of the Placenta: A Systematic Approach. Part II: Functional Assessment (Doppler)", PLACENTA, W.B. SAUNDERS, GB, vol. 29, no. 11, 1 November 2008 (2008-11-01), pages 921 - 929, XP025583024, ISSN: 0143-4004, [retrieved on 20080916], DOI: DOI:10.1016/J.PLACENTA.2008.08.010 *
BILARDO C M ET AL: "Mean blood velocities and flow impedance in the fetal descending thoracic aorta and common carotid artery in normal pregnancy", EARLY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, SHANNON, IR, vol. 18, no. 2-3, 1 December 1988 (1988-12-01), pages 213 - 221, XP026205295, ISSN: 0378-3782, [retrieved on 19881201], DOI: DOI:10.1016/0378-3782(88)90058-8 *
MALCUS P ET AL: "Waveform pattern recognition-A new semiquantitative method for analysis of fetal aortic and umbilical artery blood flow velocity recorded by doppler ultrasound", ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY, NEW YORK, NY, US, vol. 17, no. 5, 1 January 1991 (1991-01-01), pages 453 - 460, XP023260753, ISSN: 0301-5629, [retrieved on 19910101], DOI: DOI:10.1016/0301-5629(91)90181-U *
SERGOTT R C ET AL: "Color doppler imaging: Methodology and preliminary results in glaucoma", SURVEY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY, SURVEY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY INC, XX, vol. 38, 1 May 1994 (1994-05-01), pages S65 - S71, XP023265498, ISSN: 0039-6257, [retrieved on 19940501], DOI: DOI:10.1016/0039-6257(94)90048-5 *
TCHIRIKOV M ET AL: "Blood flow through the ductus venosus in singleton and multifetal pregnancies and in fetuses with intrauterine growth retardation", AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY, MOSBY, ST LOUIS, MO, US, vol. 178, no. 5, 1 May 1998 (1998-05-01), pages 943 - 949, XP027314063, ISSN: 0002-9378, [retrieved on 19980501] *
WRIGHT I A; GOUGH N A J; RAKEBRANDT F; WAHAB M; WOODCOCK J P: "Neural network analysis of doppler ultrasound blood flow signals: A pilot study", ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY, vol. 23, no. 5, 1997, USA, pages 683 - 690, XP002620166 *

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2012085788A3 (en) * 2010-12-22 2012-08-23 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Automated doppler velocimetry using a low-cost transducer.
US9351708B2 (en) 2010-12-22 2016-05-31 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Automated doppler velocimetry using a low-cost transducer
RU2623301C2 (en) * 2011-06-30 2017-06-23 Конинклейке Филипс Н.В. Method and device for automated doppler evaluation of flow angle and speed
US10786223B2 (en) 2011-06-30 2020-09-29 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Method and apparatus for automated ultrasonic doppler angle and flow velocity estimation
WO2013080115A1 (en) * 2011-11-30 2013-06-06 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. System and method for identifying high risk pregnancies
CN103957813A (en) * 2011-11-30 2014-07-30 皇家飞利浦有限公司 System and method for identifying high risk pregnancies
WO2016016581A1 (en) * 2014-07-30 2016-02-04 Bf Systemes System and method for measuring blood flow

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
JP6050246B2 (en) Automatic Doppler velocity measurement using low cost oscillator
JP6265909B2 (en) Automatic vessel identification by name
EP0573249B1 (en) Continuous display of peak and mean blood flow velocities
US8050476B2 (en) Heart rate demodulation of periodic movement in ultrasound data for object identification
RU2674241C2 (en) Automated doppler pulse cycle selection
US8523776B2 (en) Ultrasonic doppler imaging apparatus and method with blood velocity waveform processing
LAURIN et al. Ultrasound measurement of fetal blood flow in predicting fetal outcome
US9579078B2 (en) Excitation schemes for low-cost transducer arrays
Alnuaimi et al. Fetal cardiac doppler signal processing techniques: challenges and future research directions
WO2009136332A2 (en) Automatic ultrasonic measurement of nuchal fold translucency
WO2011058471A1 (en) System and method for identifying a doppler signal from a target blood vessel
JP2010200844A (en) Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and data processing program of the same
JP6050828B2 (en) System and method for identifying high-risk pregnancy
JP2008237647A (en) Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, doppler measuring device, and doppler measuring program
KR20130095160A (en) Ultrasound apparatus and method for generating ultrasound image
US9585638B2 (en) System for classifying palpable soft tissue masses using A-mode echographs
CN107007302B (en) Ultrasonic equipment, ultrasonic image processing method and device
Necas Obstetric Doppler ultrasound: Are we performing it correctly?
Kurjak et al. Utero-placental and Fetal Circulation in Intrauterine Growth Retardation
JP2005118320A (en) Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus
US11963818B2 (en) Method and system for the measurement of haemodynamic indices
Kaluzynski et al. System for objective assessment of fetal activity
WO2019159094A1 (en) Method and system for the measurement of haemodynamic indices
CN114652353A (en) Ultrasonic imaging system and carotid plaque stability assessment method

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 10785207

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 10785207

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1